


I'll Warm You Up

by uchiuchi



Category: Free!
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2013-12-16
Packaged: 2018-01-04 19:53:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uchiuchi/pseuds/uchiuchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka is Frigiphobic due to some childhood incident where he almost died of Hypothermia. Ever since he is terrified of getting even a little chilly. Makoto, knowing this, constantly cuddles up to him, hugs him, and kisses him to keep him warm and happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Warm You Up

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to marukaprompts.

_Frigiphobia: A fear of becoming too cold_

Ever since the accident that occurred when Haru was 14, he had suffered exactly this. Makoto had warned him not to swim during the chilly months of winter, he had even found a place to hide his swimsuits so he wouldn’t be tempted, but as if a pair of trunks was going to stop Nanase Haruka form dipping into the water.

And so he did.  
  
Thirty minutes later he was rushed to the hospital, lips blue and breaths soft. He could barely open his eyes and he felt so constricted, so frozen -  the boy didn’t like it at all. He was a swimmer, he was used to extending his arms and legs and moving fluidly. But now? He could barely curl his fingers.

He was afraid of the cold.

And upon Makoto uncovering that fear, knowing how much it distressed the boy just as the ocean did to him, he swore he’d never let Haruka feel that way again.   
  
~

There was a reason Makoto always brought along extra mittens and scarves.

But today, as they were walking to school, he realized he had left his extra pair at home. He worriedly glanced at his friend who showed no signs of being cold but his heart still felt heavy. Today would not be the day he broke that promise.  
  
Not even a minute later, a breeze rolled in and he caught the faintest hint of a shudder escape Haruka. The brunet quickly took off his own scarf and loosely wrapped it around his friend’s neck, putting on a gentle smile when he was met with arched brows. “You can have mine.”

"But then you’ll get cold," Haru argued, raising his hand to unwind the fabric. He was stopped by Makoto’s fingers gently pushing it back down and his blue eyes flickered to meet green. _What’s wrong?_ they asked.

Makoto didn’t want to answer. “Here, we can share it,” he suggested, taking an end and putting it around himself. The height difference forced Haru to move closer but that was fine. Now he would be even warmer.  
  
~

They were having a gathering at the beach - Nagisa’s idea, of course.

Rei had agreed almost instantly, wanting to bond with the team. Haru had flat out rejected the offer when the blond asked so he moved onto Makoto, knowing that the other would change his mind if he could squeeze a yes out of him. It took more than a single effort but in the end the brunet hopped aboard.

"Alright! What should we do first?" Nagisa bellowed, jumping on top of a rock. "I say we tell scary stories."

Makoto gulped. “E-eh? Is that really necessary?”

"Is that a problem?" Nagisa blinked.

"W-well, I mean…"

"No scary stories," Haru interrupted, pausing his attempts at drawing figures in the sand. His words were firm, his eyes unwavering from Nagisa’s. No one was going to argue with Haru so the blond just moved onto his next option.

"What about we make a fire?"

"Too much wind," Rei pointed out, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "It’ll only stay on for a couple seconds unless there’s constant friction, and I don’t think anyone wants to sit around and rub sticks all night."

 _Too much wind…_ Makoto turned to face Haru, who had gone back to creating images in the sand. He hadn’t even noticed how chilly it was around here but he wasn’t the one who was affected by the cold - Haru was. The hairs on his arm stood at attention when he thought about it.

"Does anyone have a blanket?" Makoto asked. Rei and Nagisa stopped their bickering about whether or not science would actually want to ruin their evening - _The wind does not have feelings, Nagisa-kun!_ \- and Haru angled his head to peer at Makoto from the corner of his eyes.

Nagisa brought his hands up to his chin and began stroking the skin there. “Hm, I have one. But I was going to use it for my Super Iwatobi impression!” He struck a pose and his hands billowed wildly behind him, imitating a cape.

Rei’s eye twitched. “Were you really going to put on a show?”

"I was going to have you be my sidekick, Rei-chan."

"Why would I do that?!"

"Eeeeh? You didn’t seem so horrified by the idea when yo—"

Rei jumped up from the sand so quickly that he kicked some towards Haru. His hands clamped over the younger boy’s mouth and turned to the brunet, frantic. “Makoto-senpai, I’d be happy to give you the blanket. It’s behind Nagisa-kun’s bag.”

"…U-Un. Thank you."

Makoto reached for the warm covering and, upon grabbing it, placed it over Haru’s shoulders. “Here you are.”

Blue eyes appraised him, questioning.

"We don’t need you getting sick and missing practice," Makoto chuckled, hoping his faltering voice didn’t give away his lie.

"Hm." His lips drew into a line. "Alright then."   
  
~

Haru and Makoto were having a movie night at the former’s house.

The two boys were sitting on the couch, watching the tape Nagisa had forced them to take home, but Haru wasn’t paying attention to any of it. In fact, his eyes were blank as he stared at the moving images, mind in a completely different area.

"I’ll go get us some water," Makoto volunteered, rising from his seat. He left when Haru gave a slight nod.

His blue eyes cast downwards once the other left the room. How was he going to bring it up? he wondered, taking his bottom lip into his mouth and chewing on it nervously. There was no simple way to ease into the subject and he could feel his heart thump against his ribcage the more he thought about it.

"Haru." A gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up at his friend’s extended arm. "Your water."

"Thank you," he mumbled, taking the cup and wrapping his hands around it. He stared down into the liquid and shook it a couple times, eyes following the ripples that formed. A small sigh escaped his mouth.

"Haru?"

"Hm?" he responded, though he didn’t look up.

"Are you okay?" Haru could swear that worry was detectable in Makoto’s words. The Tachibana tried to look into Haru’s eyes and decipher any feelings that may have lingered there, but Haru turned his head when he caught Makoto at his attempts.

"I’m just cold."

Yeah, now there was _definitely_ worry in there. “Cold? Well why don’t I turn the heater on for you?”

"It’s broken," Haru reminded him.

"Ah, right. Well how about some blankets? I’ll go and get them from your—"

"Makoto."

The boy stopped talking but his eyes never left Haru. At the response, the raven-haired male decided to gaze up at the other and was met with panicked eyes. The guy looked almost as tormented as him and Haru’s stomach churned at that observation. “I know what you’re doing.”

"What I’m doing?"

"You’re not the only one who can read people," Haru mumbled. "I know you well enough to understand, too."

"I never said you didn’t," Makoto spoke up, heart racing. _Where is this going?_

Haru wracked his mind for the right words to say but he couldn’t hold onto anything meaningful. He was never the type to express himself through sentences so instead, he tried a different approach. He inched closer to Makoto and ignored the other’s widening eyes, crawling onto his lap and placing his hands on his chest.

"H-Haru?"

"I remember that promise you made to me three years ago."

A startled sound escaped the boy’s mouth.

"That’s why you’ve been warming me up everywhere, right?"

"I…" He wouldn’t deny it. He wouldn’t lie to Haru. The raven-haired male was right; he _could_ read the other like an open book just as much as he did. A shaky sigh poured out as he chose the easier route: apologize. “I’m sorry, Ha—”

"Thank you."

Green eyes widened. He certainly wasn’t expecting that.

Haru wrapped his arms around Makoto and buried his face into his neck. “Thank you,” he repeated, lips moving against his skin, “for keeping that promise.”

The brunet took a second to process the information but was elated as he put his own arms around Haru, squeezing his eyes shut as he pulled him closer. “I’ll always keep you warm, Haru. Remember that.”

The boy nodded. He knew how Makoto felt, knew why he did so much to protect him. It was the same with him, the reason why he hesitated at any mentions of an ocean, kept his eyes on Makoto at any talk of horror - which Nagisa liked to bring up more times than he’d liked, earning him a scowl from the older teen - and stayed close whenever he spotted that faintest glimpse of fear in his friend’s eyes.

Haru was scared of the cold and Makoto was always there to light a fire for him.

"Do you want me to go grab those blankets now?" the brunet inquired.

The answer was a shake of the head. “No, Makoto’s warm enough.”   
  
With that, he slid his hand under Makoto’s shirt and placed it on his chest, fingers begin to absentmindedly sculpt the features, taking their time to dance and learn the curves of his body. Makoto shivered at the touch and took his eyes off of Haru to watch the flow of his digits, tracing and circling under his clothing.

He noticed the raven-haired boy lean forward and his gaze flickered back up. Haru moved in close and stopped when his mouth was just inches away from the other. Cool breath fanned out over Makoto’s face and the brunet could swear his heart stopped - he’s not breathing at all.

Haru parted his lips and his tongue escaped, slowly gliding along Makoto’s bottom lip. He savored the taste and, when he’d maneuvered it all, pulled it back to moisten his own.

"Haru…"

With a sudden jolt, the boy stole Makoto’s lips. He pressed against them awkwardly but when Makoto’s mouth opened in surprise, he took that advantage and slid his tongue in, exploring. A small whine escaped from deep within the brunet’s throat and Haru’s tongue stopped moving as he leaned back, eyes wide.

"A-ah…" Makoto wiped a thin layer of sweat from the back of his neck. "I just—"

Haru didn’t care. He captured Makoto’s lips again, this time more gently, and slowly shaped them against the other’s. Makoto responded and began to mimic the movements as his hands searched for a place to rest. The kisses started off as pecks but steadily grew - wetter, faster, _harder -_ until they were both panting for air.

"Wh-Why did you do that?" Makoto gasped, not that he hadn’t enjoyed it. Haru’s lips had tasted of chlorine and salt - he easily chalked that up to all the mackerel and swimming the boy did - but they were surprisingly sweet. They were soft and he wanted more and, from the look in Haru’s eyes, that same need was there.

"My lips were cold."


End file.
